


The Mask of a King

by Dungeon_Raided



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby (Video Games), Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: As will Bandanna and Kirbs, Dedede still has the Mask and Hammer, Masked Dedede comes in later, Meta Knight DOESN'T like it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 00:03:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14272464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dungeon_Raided/pseuds/Dungeon_Raided
Summary: King Dedede still owns the Mask that possessed him... Meta Knight doesn't like it, will King Dedede be able to keep it under control or will he lose to the influence of the Mask once more?





	1. Simple Observation

Dedede trudged down the stairs into the Castle's Hold. It was behind a hidden door in the basement, very few knowing it even existed, let alone of its location, so he'd decided this was the perfect place to hide it. 

The Hold was massive, taking up a large percentage of the underground space of the Castle. It's main use was as a space to keep things the King wanted to be more... private. Most of his treasures were here. Ranging from gold to jewels to old books. (Meta Knight had insisted they be here.) But to keep the foundations strong the Hold needed to be separated into many rooms, the walls assisting the foundations with holding up the castle.

The King walked past many doors and down the twists and turns of many corridors. He knew exactly where he was going, he was headed to one of very few dead ends in the Hold. The door was almost hidden by the way the light seemed to miss it entirely and that made it perfect for what he was hiding there. He unlocked the door with a key he kept with him and went inside.

There were only two things inside the room. On the wall, a mechanical blue hammer was held up by a few hooks in the wall, displaying the heavy hammer in all its glory.  
Before it, on a pedestal, was the Mask. It had controlled him before... but it gave him strength that he couldn't deny was indescribably high. It felt like nothing he'd ever experienced. In the few moments he remembered he, of course, remembered lacking control... but he also remembered an intense strength he knew he would never match on his own.

And that's why the damned Mask had found itself a place in the King's ownership. He knew he shouldn't keep it. He kept telling himself it was to keep it out of the hands of evil. So it couldn't be used against him ever again. But he knew he was lying to himself. He wanted that power for himself. If he could just control it, then he would be the strongest of anyone in Dreamland. Any evils could be left for him to deal with. He wouldn't have to worry about Bandanna or Meta Knight (or Kirby) getting hurt ever again. 

But the issue of control still stood. The Mask... while it held an immense power it also came with almost an unstoppable intrusiveness. It wanted to take your body and use it to its own advantage... if that was even possible. It didn't sound all too reasonable but... it made sense to anyone who'd known the effects of the Mask. 

Dedede didn't want to lose control again. Certainly not within his own castle walls. He couldn't imagine how scared Bandanna would be... ever since he was possessed by a Dark Matter during the quest for the Crystal Shards he'd been terrified of possession in any form. The attempted invasion of Haltmann Works had shaken the poor Dee greatly, he'd been found lying awake and trembling more nights than any of the four would ever admit. He knew that if Bandanna found out about any of this... he'd be horrified.

But he still had to try. This Mask... this Power. It could be his Kingdom's saving grace. Or it could his Kingdom's downfall. But he wasn't a weak King. He wouldn't let his strength get the best of him.   
He couldn't.   
If he did... God knows what would happen. He didn't want to think about it. But... well, Meta Knight would be able to stop him. He knew that. He could trust the Knight with anything. Or, well... most things.

He took one last look at the forbidden tools before turning to leave. 

Only to stop still, seeing his Kingdom's best Knight glaring at him from the doorway. His eyes tinted a hellish red. 

Meta Knight shook his head. "I thought you were above this, Dedede." He almost spat the words, like the were venom on his tongue. "I thought you knew not to meddle with these... infernal creations."  
"M-Meta Knight!" The King stuttered in his shock."I- uh- look- I can- I can explain just-"  
"Save it." He cut in. "I'm not going to listen to you try to explain why you harbour such demons in your castle. It is... disappointing."

Dedede flinched. He hated to disappoint anyone and Meta Knight could be so brutal if he wanted to... "No! Listen to me!" He tried to use his Kingly authority to his advantage. "If it's here then nobody can use it on me! Think about it, Meta Knight. Most people don't even know the Hold exists."

Meta Knight went to respond but paused, considering the King's words properly. "That... that does hold up. You have a point, I must admit. I also see the door bears a lock, I assume that would be why that is?"  
Dedede didn't miss a beat to nod. "Exactly. And that's why I chose this room. The door's hidden by bad lightin'!"  
The Knight nodded, thinking it over.  
"Well then. It seems I have... jumped to conclusions somewhat. I misjudged you, and I am sorry."

That made the King a slight bit uncomfortable. Meta Knight apologising when he was the one being lied to.  
It... didn't feel right. And that slight moment of discomfort didn't go unnoticed.  
"N-Nah, it's fine, Meta. Don't... Don't mention it. Just... Please, don't tell Bandanna about this. We both know how he'd react..."

Meta Knight nodded. He knew of Bandanna's fears and respected them. They were very well founded. "But of course, I wouldn't want to see him so traumatised again." And with that, the Knight left. His footsteps echoing into the winding corridors as he walked away, leaving King Dedede to his thoughts once more.

He turned to look at the Mask and Hammer. He couldn't use that Hammer without the Mask. He... simply didn't know how. And he couldn't use his own Hammer with the Mask. It would corrupt it and turn it into a copy of the one displayed on the wall. He couldn't have one without the other.

And he wasn't so sure if he wanted either anymore... but that power... his curiosity needed to be satiated

What if he could control it?


	2. Raising the Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedede can't seem to stay away from the Mask...  
> Day and Night he returns to it, slinking away into the Hold at all hours.
> 
> Maybe... it's calling out to him?

Dedede's steps were sluggish as he made his way through the twists and turns of the hold, he couldn't seem to stay away from that damned Mask but... it wasn't like he wanted to. There was something so oddly appealing about being near it. Maybe it was the raw power he could almost reach out and touch whenever he was around the Mask, or maybe it was the whispers he could just barely hear whenever he approached, he couldn't understand them but he knew they were calling to him.

A few times he'd taken up the great mechanical hammer on the wall, turning it over in his hands and watching the way the light caught the cold metal. He'd made a few attempts to swing the hammer but they'd all been unnaturally feeble, and he'd felt more drawn to the Mask than ever when he tried using it's accompanying weapon. He'd considered, once or twice, putting on the Mask, to see if he could control the power it held. However, he'd never gotten past outstretching a hand to fleeting touch the Mask, but the cacophony of voices and the feeling of someone watching him from behind boring into his skull deterred him each time.

But not today, if he was going to get anywhere with this Mask he knew he needed to put it on eventually. He shut the door behind him to hopefully rid himself of the awful feeling that he was being watched and took a few steps into the room, towards the pedestal the Mask resided on.

It was like the Mask knew his intentions and the whispering became audible in the King's ears. Just barely... so far away... he couldn't understand the words spoken but he decided that he didnt really need to. He knew they were calling for him, that's all that mattered.

He reached out towards the Mask, the voices slowly became louder, finally he could discern words in the madness, but as soon as he heard them they were forgotten. They were an indescribeable malice, speaking to him and him alone. Only he could bear the Mask, only he could control it's power. 

When his hand finally came to settle on the Mask his vision suddenly darkened, blind to everything except it. Not that he noticed at all, it wasn't like his focus was on anything else. It didn't need to be. The only thing he needed in that moment was before him, not even a meter from his face and when that gap was closed... he would have such power.

 

The dark whispers reached a crescendo as he raised the Mask to his face, the metal gleaming brightly as it inched closer and closer aND-

 

A sharp kick from Meta Knight threw the Mask from the King's hand, it clanged as it slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the ground.  
"What were you THINKING!?" The Knight bellowed, his usual composure crushed by rage, eyes a burning red.

King Dedede tried to form a response, but his words were caught in his throat. He kept glancing back and forth between his best Knight and the Mask, before Meta Knight moved to block his view of the distraction. "I cannot BELIVE you! You LIED to me!!" His fury would not be calmed by stutterings. "You told me you were keeping it away from people who wished to use it against you, but I never thought you would stoop as low as to put us through seeing you like THAT again."

"Me- Meta- No! I-" Dedede tried, finally being able to think now that he couldn't see the Mask.  
"Save it." The Knight snapped. "If I hadn't been here, then who would've stopped you?! Certainly not yourself. I thought you were smarter than this."

"I can control it, Meta!" Words finally found their way through, although a little forced out.  
"You can't." the Knight's reply came bitter. "You've been controlled by that thing too many times. I won't risk it again."  
He looked away for a moment, before his eyes flared up once more. "What if Bandanna had seen you!? What would you have done!?" Meta Knight took steps forwards, towards the King, who also took steps backwards. He... He hadn't thought about that, actually.

Bandanna had a mortal fear of possession in any of its forms... and the Mask had possessed him on more than one occasion. He knew his friend feared that Mask more than even some of the foes he'd battled...  
"I would've proved to him that I can control it!" Dedede decided. "I would've shown him that he doesnt need to fear it anymore."  
Meta Knight scoffed. "No. You would've been nothing but a puppet for it's malicious deeds once again. We both know it."

"Would've been a puppet for what?" Another voice. The King and his Knight whipped around to face the door only to be met by the face of Bandanna, fear just starting to shine in his eyes.

"For nothin', Bandanna. You dont need to worry." Dedede didn't miss a beat reassuring his friend.  
"But... isn't that-" He suddenly gasped, his eyes wide, locked on the Hammer on the wall.

Bandanna began to tremble, he took a tiny step back, then another, and another.  
"Bandanna wait!" the King called out, rushing to stand in front of him. "It's- It's okay. I'm not gonna get lost to that thing again, I'm gonna control it."

"You- You didn't tell me!" Tears were forming at the corners of his eyes as he started to shake more.  
"I didn't wanna scare you, I know you don't like it and I didn't think you'd want to know it was here." A sigh escaped Dedede, he'd realised how badly this would affect the Waddle Dee.  
"If you knew I don't like it then why did you keep it? I- I don't-" He tried to hold his tears back before sobs began to wrack his tiny body.  
"Bandanna- don't cry- it's okay-" The King tried to comfort his advisor but when he reached out the Waddle Dee flinched back.

"No! I can't- just- get that thing out of here! Please!" Bandanna pleaded through sobs.  
Meta Knight glared at the King, his eyes a deep red before he turned to the Waddle Dee. "I'll take care of this Bandanna, go find Kirby, he'll look after you."  
Bandanna nodded and, after a moments hesitation to look into the defeated eyes of the King, he ran. Down the halls of the Hold. Dedede sighed deeply and turned to his Knight, who looked back at him with red tinted eyes.

"If you know what's good, you'll get rid of it now. You've seen what it will do to him. I hope that's enough for you." Meta Knight then turned, his cape flaring up as he did, and he too left the room.

 

Leaving the King and his Mask alone.


End file.
